Process of producing foam from foam developing substances



Aug. 30,1932, R. S CHNABEL 1,874,209

E55 0! PRODUCING FOAM FROM FO AH DEVELOPING SUBSTANCES Filed April 23 1927 IROC PatentedAug. 30, 1932 (UNITED SVTATES'VPATENT OFFICE mmorr scmvaimr, or warm, GERMAN/Y, assrenoa, BY MESNE assrommnrs, 'ro

- Prawn-mum: conroaarron, a oonromrron or DELAWARE PROCESS OF PFODUCING FOAM EROM DEVELOPING SUBSTANCES Application filed April 28, 1927, Serial" ilo.

My invention relates to a process of producing foam for extinguishing fires which have broken out inioil or gasolme tanks and similar conflagrations which cannot be ex- 6 tinguished by means of water. i

My improved method consists substantially in forcing the foam generating liquid together with air or any other gas through an apparatus in which the liquid and the gas necessary for the generation of the foam are set 'in whirling motion or helical gyration. This whirling motion may be caused either by theliquid orby the gas passing through the apparatus or by the liquid as well as the gas in cooperation. Both agents,

the liquid as well as the gas, must be-intro- I duced into the apparatus under pressure. Sometimes' it may be advisable to put-one i medium or agent under higher pressure than from the left towards the right.

the other. I

The whirling motion or helical gyration may be eifected by any of the constructive means customary in engineering. The liquid and the gas may, for instance, be forced through a helicalmember' located in a tube, as customary in spraying nozzles. The whirl-' ing or centrifugal motion may, however, also be brought about by -conducting the 'hquid or the gas, for instance, compressed air,

arranged inlets for the h u1d or the gas, a

thrust in thedirection oft c axis of the tube being exerted in addition to the helical rotation. The end in view may, furthermore, be

attained by. means of an apparatus which operates in the manner of a jet condenser and in which the liquid is set in whirling or eddying motion, by inlet openings located under acute angles to the axis of the, "tube. The apparatus for producing the foafn may, furithermore, be so designed that it I causes a whirling motion of the liquid and the gas in opposite directions or with a difference in the speed of rotation. n v In the drawing aflixed hereto are diagram matically illustrated, by way of example, a number of devices suitable for carrying out my improved method I I Z --"Inthedrawingis:'-. V v, Fig.' 1, a device constructed on the principle through a tube provided with tangentially 1 it will be seen that the tubular device illusing motion. It will be understood, however,

186,166, and in Germany august 22, 1925.

Fig. 3, I

ig. 5,-a longitudinal section through a device designed on the principle of Koertings jet condenser with an inlet branch disposed at an acute angle and tangentially to the axis of the mixing tube,

Fig. 6, a front elevation of Fig. 5 viewed from the left towards the right Fig. 7, a device for bringing 'tioi in opposite directions of gas and liquid, an a Fig. 8, a front elevation of Fig. 7 viewed Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, a is a bottlesha'ped bodyin which, similar'to Koertin s spraying nozzle, a helix 6 is mounted axia y. Into the body a, which is closed in the rear open supply pipes 0 and d for gas and li uid in a'tangential direction. It will be un erstood, however, that the inlet points ofthese pipes into the body a might be arranged-difrently'. Referring to Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing,

trated 'is provided'with four tan entially located tube branches f. These tu e branches are located in a drum..g tightly fixed upon the tube e and provided with an inlet branch "h. Throu h the reduced end 2' of the tube e about a gyrap enters the oam-producing liquid and into the drum 9 air or gas under pressure may be introduced through the branch Jr. in order to ass through the tangentially arran d pipe ranches f into the interior of the tu e e and to set the liquid contained therein into gyratthat eonversely liquid might enter through thebranch h and compressed air throu h t e branch 6. The tangentially dispose tube branches 7' are here shown as located in the same plane. They might, however, equally well be located in different planes within the drum so that they follow one another in a helical line. In this modification an axial thrust is simultaneously developed between the currents of liquid and gas or air impinging upon one another at right angles.

The device illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6-of the drawing, is substantially a Koerting jet condenser Z in which the inlet branch is for the liquid is located at an acute angle to the longitudinal axis of the apparatus and also opens tangentially into the casing in order to bring about the desired whirling rotation or gyration. It will be understood, however, that a plurality of such inlet branches may be provided. r

In the modification of the apparatus illustrated in Figs. 7 and 8, m is a drum at one side of which is provided a central outlet tube a for the mixture or the foam. Into this drum open in the same directien'pipes 0 and p for the supply of the gas or the air and the liquid, these pipes being located tangentially at opposite sides of the drum, so that the currents of gas or air and liquid entering the drum perform a gyrating motion in opposite directions. The pipes 0 and p, which might open into the drum m in the same plane, are in the design illustrated located in different planes at right angles to the axis of the device. In this way one of the substances to be mixed is obliged to traverse the other substance in order to reach the outlet tube n, whereby a very intimate mixture of the two substances to be mixed is attained.

In this device a difference in the speed of gyration of the two substances may be brought about by varying the speed with which one or drum m.

In all the devices illustrated it is of course a matter of indifference as far as the principle is concerned through which of the inlets' the gas, the air or the liquid enters the apparatus. It will also be understood that details of one device may be transferred to any of the others.

Various other changes and modifications the other substance enters the may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention and the ambit ofmy claims and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereon as are imposed by the prior art.

I claim as my invention 1. The process of producing foam from foam developing substances, which consists in conducting the foam generating liquid through an apparatusin which the liquid entering under pressure together with a compressed gas are both together set in whirling vmotion or helical gyration, the whirling efa feet being produced by the liquid entering under pressure and the compressed gasvbeing passed through a tube provided with tangential inlets, in such a manner that besides the helical gyration a thrust is exerted in the direction of the axis of said tube.

tion belng caused by an apparatus in which in the manner of a jet condenser the liquid.

is set in whirling rotation by means of tangential inlet branches located at'acute angles to the axis of said apparatus.

3. The process of producing foam from foam developing substances, which consists. in conducting the foam generating liquid through an apparatus in which the liquid entering under pressure togetlicr'with a compressed gas are both together set in whirling motion or helical gyration, and'in which the whirling motion caused by introduction of the liquid and the gas takes place with a difference in the speed of rotation of these two constituents.

4. The method of producing foam for fire extinguishing purposes which comprises bringing into intimate contact liquid and a gas under pressure and causing a swirling movement of the mixture by the introduction of the liquid and gas while permitting an expansion thereof.

5. The method of producing foam for fire extinguishing purposes which bringing into intimate contact with a whirling motion a foam forming liquid under pressure and a gas under pressure, substantially as described.

6. An apparatus for use in forming foam for fire extinguishing purposes comprising a housing having inlets for a foam forming liquid and for a gas under pressure the inlets being arranged tangentially to cause a swirling of the gas and air at the place of entry.

7. A method of producing fire extinguish comprises ing foam which comprises separately intro- I media resulting in' the production'of foam.

' 8. A method of producing fire extinguish- .ing foam which comprises separately introcducin'g under pressure nto a mixing chamber a gaseous medium and; a liquid medium capable of'encloslngsaid gas to'form foam, one of said media being introduced axially of 'saidchamber and the other of said media being introduced tangentially of said chamber but in a direction having a component axial of said chamber to produce a whirling movement of said media resulting in the production of foam.

9. A method of producing fire extinguishing foam which comprises separately introducing undelxpressure into a mixing chamher a gaseous medium and a liquid medium capable of enclosing said gas to form foam, one of said media being introduced axially of said chamber and the other of said media being introduced tangentially of said chamber to produce a whirling movement of said me dia resulting in the production of foam.

10. A method of producing fire extinguishingfoam which comprises separately introducmg under pressure into a m1x1ng chamber,

agaseousmedium andaliguidmediumca able orm foam, sa1 mei of enclosing said gasito dia= being introduced tangentially into said chamber in opposite directionsto produce gyrating movements of the media in opposite girections resulting in the productlpn of ing foam which comprises separately mtro- 3b sulting in the production of foam.

'ducingunder pressure into amixing chamber a gaseous medium and a liquid medium capable of enclosing said gas .to forin foam,

said media being introduced tangentially into said chamber in opposite directions and in difierent planes to produce gyrating move: ments of the media in opposite directions're- 11. A method of producing fire extinguish- 

